A fight at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City has been a long time coming for UFC lightweight Jared Gordon.
Gordon (19-6, 1NC) has the sort of backstory that would make for a fantastic bio-pic or late career memoir. He’s overcome addiction to find himself in the largest mixed martial arts promotion on the planet, where he has held is own for six years and counting.
As a New Yorker himself, competing at UFC 295 in MSG later this month is more than just big. “Dude, it’s obviously a monumental thing,” Gordon told Cageside Press recently. “A big part of my career, and I think it’s all part of my destiny.”
Fighting runs in the family for Jared Gordon. His grandfather, Sal Ferello, was a boxer who himself fought under the bright lights of the Garden, for starters. “My grandfather fought there I think three or four times. He was pretty good, he was 38-3 as a pro. He’s from Harlem. I was born in Manhattan, raised in Astoria, I used to train at Renzo [Gracie]’s which is two blocks from the Garden, so I used to walk by it every day looking at it. I used to shoot dope at Penn Station which is underneath the Garden, so for me to be in the Garden fighting and getting the W is huge.”
Getting to this point hasn’t been easy, of course. Gordon is coming off of a couple of rough nights at the office: a No Contest against Bobby Green due to a clash of heads, and a loss to Paddy Pimblett that nearly everyone saw Gordon winning.
“I think it’s pretty fair to say I beat Paddy, and then I was winning that fight with Bobby. Pretty, like, I think it was obvious to most people that I was winning that fight. And the judges on the cards. I was up on strikes and everything, then I got headbutted and it was just really unfortunate. I think it should have been a DQ, but whatever.”
Six weeks after the Green setback, Gordon was booked against Jim Miller, only to be pulled from the bout. He’d been open about experiencing concussion-like symptoms at the time. “Whatever. That’s the past, bro, But yeah it was tough for me to get over it. I’m happy, things always seem to have a way of working out for me for the better. And here we are, got a big fight coming up, MSG, so I’m just focused on this right now.”
Mark O. Madsen is the opponent come November 11 at UFC 295. A silver medal winner in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Madsen is no easy out— but Gordon is liking the match-up.
“I think all around, well I know I’m a better fighter than him. I’ve got a lot more experience than him fight-wise,” explained Gordon. “He’s obviously a competitor, he was an Olympic medalist so he knows what it’s like to get up on a big stage and have to compete. But I believe I’m the better striker, I believe on the ground I’m better. He’s a Greco wrestler so he’s good in the clinch. I’m not going to underestimate by any means though, but I just think all-around I’m better than him.”
“I think I’m in better shape than him, I think I keep the pace higher, and I just think that I’m hungrier bro. He’s been at it for a long time,” Gordon added. “Obviously he hasn’t been fighting for a long time, but he’s a little older than me. I feel like I’ve been chomping at the bit for this past year or so, just trying to get to that next level, and this is my time. I’m really hungry, I’ve prepared so well for this, I’m the best fighter I’ve ever been and I just think that stylistically, it’s a great fight for me.”
Watch our full interview with UFC 295 lightweight Jared Gordon above.
